Prehistoric Plants

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I had hoped I might impose on the plant experts to help me decide a question I am somewhat trying to answer for myself. I have this fossil Psittacosaurus mounted in a display case, and I have decided I wish to place a Bonsai tree in his environment to make things appear somewhat more ......eye catching. My question then is what type of dwarf tree or Bonsai should I consider that would blend in properly with a dinosaur that lived 130-90 million years ago? I had looked at some types of palm, and Juniper for instance and they all look nice, with large wooden trunks, and nice foliage groupings but, would either be a good choice? Do I need some type of fern or what?

[stemturtle]

I had hoped I might impose on the plant experts to help me decide a question I am somewhat trying to answer for myself. I have this fossil Psittacosaurus mounted in a display case, and I have decided I wish to place a Bonsai tree in his environment to make things appear somewhat more ......eye catching. My question then is what type of dwarf tree or Bonsai should I consider that would blend in properly with a dinosaur that lived 130-90 million years ago? I had looked at some types of palm, and Juniper for instance and they all look nice, with large wooden trunks, and nice foliage groupings but, would either be a good choice? Do I need some type of fern or what?

Although I am not a paleobotanist, I think that either a juniper or a palm bonsai would go well with a fossil Psittacosaurus.  A palm is an angiosperm, which had evolved by the Cretaceous.  Another conifer that would look nice is a Metasequoia, a redwood.  There are many choices.

[DC]

Giant club moss were important until the end of the Early Triassic and may have lingered into the Cretaceous.  Steve Barber makes them.
http://www.dinosaurcollectorsitea.com/EPermian_files/SphenoocodonMarx.jpg

The generic gymnosperm is from a dollar blister pack.  Can a plant be a chinassaur?

[DC]

If you look at flats there is Ginkgo, a conifer, Williamsonia, Cycadeoidea, Nilssonie and Onychiopsis. All these plants can be found in Burien Life before Man plate 64.   
http://www.dinosaurcollectorsitea.com/procon_files/CollectAproceratosaurusAustra.venatorOrnithcheirus.JPG

[DC]

I like this thread even if no else is reading it.  Lontic released last year cycad - cycadoid plants.  They are not museum quality like the Safari Ltd or CollectA but offer several leaf variations 2 tree types with fern like leaves and one with palmate leaves.  Then their are the small barrel cycads.  I would by these just by themselves.  I think with painting they could be made to look even better.  For that matter painting the Marx and MPC palm fern combinations makes them look much more modern.  We should not forget Marx made a raft of different trees many of them conifers that should have been used with their dinosaur sets.  Their is a rare Disneyville tree fern - Palm looking combination that would be great if painted.  Marolin, Schleich and Bullyland all made trees that are usable.  The JASMAN diorama figures came with a "Palm"  That is you paint the base you can see the fossils etc.  It is intended as a prehistoric palm.       

[radman]

If you like palm trees, check out  http://hartofthesouth.com/
I got their Sabal palm and it turned out great IMHO.  Lotta work though.

I used the extra leaves to make little palmetto bushes.

[ProSauropod]

I'm enjoying this thread also - in fact, a few weeks ago I received a package of the Club Moss from Steve Barber.  They're 3 to a pack; each about 3 inches tall in heavy metal.  Be aware they're in his online catalog under " 25/28mm Prehistoric Settlement" ; along with some animals that probably should be under the "25/28mm Prehistoric Animals ". 

[DC]

Barber has resin cycads also but they are small.  Tamiya diorama models have cycads large barrel size 1/35 scale.  The leaves are crepe paper.  Aurora models had some cycadoids and some fern like plants.  The swamp diorama had a pleuromeia, some tall Bennettitales plus some horse tails.  The prehistoric plants come from Life Like model series Lepidodron, Horsetail, Williansonia, fan palm and cycad.

[DC]

here is a picture of Barber plants, games Workshop and Play Mobil plants.  I saw the new Play Mobil the plants were are nice but the horsetails are great.  I think with some paint they would make first class diorama.

[DC]

http://www.dinosaurcollectorsitea.com/Triassic_files/plateosaurus2.jpg

[stoneage]

http://www.dinosaurcollectorsitea.com/Triassic_files/plateosaurus2.jpg

Where can you get those?

[DC]

Steve barbers  prehistoric settlement
http://stevebarbermodels.com/
STL19
Prehistoric Plants 2 (pack of 3) (Clubmoss)

[Halichoeres]

These figures deserve to be showcased here:


The Araucaria trees from the Mountain and Forest accessory packs of the Creative Beast Beasts of the Mesozoic action figure line. They're each composed of the same four pieces, in different paint jobs, that fit together very snugly and look best next to a standard-sized sauropod figure.

Worth mentioning:


The ferns also included in a couple of accessory packs (Forest and Wetland)


The horsetails from the Wetland pack

[Lanthanotus]

Can't wait until those hit the shelves... the plants and environment goodies are my main interest in the whole BotM

[Ravonium]

the plants and environment goodies are my main interest in the whole BotM

Yep, same here    I don't care that much for the over-articulated figures, but these are easily the best prehistoric plants on the market yet, especially for plants that are almost-generic.

[ceratopsian]

the plants and environment goodies are my main interest in the whole BotM

Yep, same here    I don't care that much for the over-articulated figures, but these are easily the best prehistoric plants on the market yet, especially for plants that are almost-generic.

Same here as well.  I'm thinking now of getting two of the environments - but skipping on even the one full-sized articulated figure I thought I might buy.

[Halichoeres]

That reminds me that these probably belong here too:





From the Favorite "Cretaceous Forest" Georama, some conifers (cf. Araucaria), tree ferns (cf. Cyathea), and small benettitaleans. Very expensive diorama, but absolutely beautiful.

Populated with dinosaurs:

[Bokisaurus]

Those are beautiful plant figures, especially those Georama conifers! We really need more plants, hope CollectA will someday add more to their series.

[Lanthanotus]

Yeah, those favorite georamas are nice, but I only saw them once available (Black Hills Institute) and unfortunately, shipping to Europe would cost another fortune next to the price of the thing itself. I wished more companies would bother with such things, other than those "cheap" playsets by Schleich or those chinasaur stuff companies.

[ceratopsian]

I love that Favorite forest.